Saint Andrew's Abbey-Church Bruges (Belgium)

Photograph: Dirk Vde 2007
Please note: The above copyrighted image may not be reproduced in any circumstances.

The magnificent Benedictine Abbey-Church of Saint Andrew in Bruges, Belgium is completely intact and truly glorious.

The altar rests beneath a magnificent civory or ciborium, the vault of which is covered with golden mosaic tiles. The apse walls are treated with inlaid marblework and murals painted in the Beuronese school of sacred art. Equally magnificent is the Cosmatesque floor of the sanctuary.

The altar of Saint Joseph in the Abbey-Church.
Here is seen a further example of the Beuronese school of sacred art.
The altar itself, together with its bronze Crucifix and candlesticks, is a work of art,
beautifully detailed and admirably proportionate.

The charming photograph adjacent was taken in the Abbey Church of Saint Andrew in Bruges, Belgium around 1958.  A Benedictine monk is pictured at the beginning of a Low Mass, attended by two servers.

Re-posted from our other Blog Where Heaven and Earth Meet.

Click on the images for an enlarged view. 

Bi-centenary of Saint Mary's Cathedral Sydney 1821 - 2021

The editor of this blog was approached to assist the staff of the newspaper of the Archdiocese of Sydney The Catholic Weekly in the preparation of a special edition commemorative of the Bi-centenary of Saint Mary's Cathedral.

This commemorative edition has now been published and an online version of it may be viewed here.

Old Saint Mary's as it appeared in the early 1840s.
Image : The Saint Bede Studio

Four special articles were written about old Saint Mary' Cathedral (1821-1865).  Some of the information has already appeared on our other Catholic history blog In diebus illis, but special images were prepared to illustrate the articles.

Since every word had to count in limited print space, I was not able to mention those who assisted me in this project.  I wish to do so here.

Mr Brian Andrews of Tasmania

Dr Lienntje Cornelissen, Sydney Archdiocesan Archivist

Mr Giovanni Portelli, Catholic photographer

The Very Rev'd Donald Richardson, Dean of Saint Mary's Cathedral

Staff of Special Collections, State Library of New South Wales

Mr Simon Fieldhouse, Sydney artist

Prof. James Franklin, Vice-President of the Australian Catholic Historical Society.

Mr Peter Rosengren, editor of the Catholic Weekly.

The Friends of Saint Mary's Cathedral.

Various encouragers known to the editor.

AMDG

Saint Andrew's Abbey-Church Brugges (Belgium)

Photograph: Dirk Vde 2007
Please note: The above copyrighted image may not be reproduced in any circumstances.

The magnificent Benedictine Abbey-Church of Saint Andrew in Bruges, Belgium is completely intact and truly glorious.

The altar rests beneath a magnificent civory or ciborium, the vault of which is covered with golden mosaic tiles. The apse walls are treated with inlaid marblework and murals painted in the Beuronese school of sacred art. Equally magnificent is the Cosmatesque floor of the sanctuary.

The altar of Saint Joseph in the Abbey-Church.
Here is seen a further example of the Beuronese school of sacred art.
The altar itself, together with its bronze Crucifix and candlesticks, is a work of art,
beautifully detailed and admirably proportionate.

The charming photograph adjacent was taken in the Abbey Church of Saint Andrew in Bruges, Belgium around 1958.  A Benedictine monk is pictured at the beginning of a Low Mass, attended by two servers.

Re-posted from our other Blog Where Heaven and Earth Meet.

Click on the images for an enlarged view. 

Advent at the Church of S' Birinus (UK)

The beautiful Church of S' Birinus in Oxfordshire was one of the early works of the Gothic Revival architect William Wardell, whose later career in Australia produce such masterpieces as the Cathedral of Saint Mary, Help of Christians in Sydney and the Cathedral of Saint Patrick in Melbourne.

S' Birinus, however, is a church on a very small scale, but with its every detail faithful to Mediaeval architectural and decorative styles.  Its chancel is exquisitely decorated with polychrome work and gilding.

The Parish has a YouTube site and Holy Mass is regularly videocast from the church, assisted by a small but splendid choir. 

This link is to Mass offered on the First Sunday of Advent.  The celebrant is wearing a semi-conical chasuble in Sarum blue made some years ago by the Saint Bede Studio.

A screen capture from a video of Holy Mass 
celebrated at the Church of S' Birinus, Oxfordshire UK.

AMDG.

Contrasts : 5

Images from the website of the Benedictine Archabbey of Saint Martin, Beuron in the Danube Valley. Above, the Abbey Church and below the Chapel of Grace attached to principal Church. Read more about the two churches of this monastery here and here.

Jubilate Deo

Watch this short video about the education of the young in the Archdiocese of Sydney in the Chants of the Mass. The video features the Church of Saint Thomas Becket (Lewisham NSW), the interior of which was re-decorated under the direction of the Saint Bede Studio in 2017 as part of a greater restoration of the fabric.

 Please note that the vestments being worn are not made by the Saint Bede Studio.


Jubilate Deo - Sacred Music Program from New Ark Films on Vimeo.

For the Season "Per Annum" 2018 : 2

The Studio recently completed this set of green vestments (shewn in the adjacent image) which forms part of a benefaction to the Church of Saint Thomas of Canterbury, Lewisham (Archdiocese of Sydney).  This historic church has recently undergone a comprehensive restoration and refurbishment, for which the Saint Bede Studio was a consultant.

These attractive vestments were made from a lovely ecclesiastical brocade in deep green and were lined in a  Emerald green-coloured taffeta. The chasuble is in the Studio's Saint Giles style, being a contemporary refinement of the Gothic Revival style. The ornament is formed from one of the braids designed by the Studio, in colours of green, gold and white upon red.

The vestments were worn for the first time at the re-hallowing of Saint Thomas' church by the Most Rev'd Dr Fisher OP, Archbishop of Sydney, on Sunday 22nd July.

Click on the images for an enlarged view.

Enquiries : stbede62@gmail.com

View of the High Altar of the Church of Saint Thomas
of Canterbury, Lewisham (Australia).
Ornamental work on the sanctuary wall was designed by
The Saint Bede Studio as part of the restoration works
on the church.
Image : The Saint Bede Studio.

Priestly Ordinations 2018 : 1

Figure 1.
Father Moon pictured with seminarians
and ministers after the celebration of his
First Holy Mass.

Each year, the Saint Bede Studio has the privilege of preparing sacred vestments for priestly Ordinands.  Happily, 2018 is no exception.

In this post, we are pleased to draw attention to the ordination of Father Maurice Moon of the Diocese of Fort Worth, Texas (USA).  Father Moon was ordained to the Sacred Priesthood in the Cathedral of Saint Patrick on 19th May by the Bishop of Fort Worth, the Most Rev'd Michael Olson.

Father Moon commissioned a set of festal vestments from the Studio in the Gothic Revival style for his First Holy Mass. 

The vestments were made from an English ecclesiastical brocade in a shade of red and ornamented with a braid in colours of red, burgundy and straw-gold of the Studio's own design. The vestments were lined in muted yellow taffeta.

Figure 2.
Vestments made for Father Moon.

Father Moon's First Holy Mass was celebrated in the beautiful parish Church of Saint Peter in Lindsay (Texas) on Pentecost Sunday.  Father Moon kindly sent us an image taken after the First Mass (above).  We are pleased to include below two other images of this church's interior and refer readers to this interesting article about this hidden gem, built at the end of the 19th century by the town's German Catholic community.

Please pray for Father Moon and for all newly-ordained priests.

Enquiries : stbede62@gmail.com

Please click on the images for an enlarged view.

Figure 3.
Saint Peter's church Lindsay, TexasView looking east down the nave.

Figure 4.
Magnificent polychrome paint treatment of the walls
of Saint Peter's church, Lindsey, Texas.
This work is in the style of the 19th century
German Romanesque Revival.

Maundy Thursday Tenebrae

Figure 1
High altar and chancel wall of
Saint Thomas Becket's church during  Tenebrae.
Image : Latin Mass Society of Australia.

We are able to share a brief video presentation of the Office of Tenebrae for Maundy Thursday, by courtesy of the Latin Mass Society of Australia.

Read more and view the video at our subsidiary blog Where Heaven and Earth Meet.

Restoration works in Saint Thomas' church, Lewisham

Following on from our post on the Feast of Saint Thomas Becket, we are pleased to include these two photographs taken before and after the major interior redecoration of the church of Saint Thomas of Canterbury in Lewisham (NSW), undertaken in collaboration with The Saint Bede Studio. 

Read more ... 

Please click on the images for enlarged view.

BEFORE

(April 2017)

Copyright of the Saint Bede Studio

AFTER

(December 2017)

Copyright of Mulholland Restoration and Decorating.

On the Feast of Saint Thomas Becket

Figure 1.
Medallion figuring
Saint Thomas Becket.
Image : Mulholland Restoration
& Decorating.

Today is the Feast of the great English mediaeval bishop, Thomas Becket, who was martyred for his defence of the Church in 1170 within his own Cathedral of Canterbury by knights of King Henry II.

To commemorate this Feast, we wish to continue our description of restoration work on a church in Sydney (Australia) which is under the patronage of Saint Thomas.  The church of Saint Thomas of Canterbury (also known as Saint Thomas Becket's) was erected in 1887 in the Sydney suburb of Lewisham. Because of its proximity to the railway line which runs into the centre of Sydney from the North, the splendid Gothic Revival tower of the church is seen by thousands of people each day as they pass by in the city's trains.

Figure 2.
The splendid tower of Saint Thomas' seen through
the wiring and gantries of the railway.

Earlier this year, the Saint Bede Studio was approached to be a consultant on the restoration of the interior of this church.  Walking into Saint Thomas' for the first time on Easter Monday 2017, the impression was of an Old Lady of great dignity, who had escaped dramatic changes, but of greatly faded glory, cluttered by successive generations of alterations and accretions. It was a great challenge to devise a near-complete interior re-ornamentation within the constraints of available time.

The Studio's commission was to devise a colour scheme for the repainting of the church, to devise an ornamental scheme for the Chancel and its adjacent chapels and to advise on heritage restoration generally.  In this work, we received much practical support from the pastor, Father Samuel Lynch,  parish assistant Mr Stephen Smith and artisans Mulholland Restoration and Decorating of Melbourne.

Figure 3.
A photograph taken in Saint Thomas' before the
reinstatement of the pews.
This illustrates the newly-polished timber floors, the new
central aisle of tessellated pavement
and the new colour scheme for the walls of the building.

On our other blog Where Heaven and Earth Meet, we will be presenting a series of posts detailing the philosophy underpinning the Studio's work at Saint Thomas' as well as the stages of the buildings development and restoration.

For today, however, just a few photographs of the interior work, as an appetiser.

Figure 4.
Detail of the stencilwerk designed by the Studio
for the east wall of the chancel.
The photograph was taken before the completion
of the decoration.
Image : Mulholland Restoration and Decorating.

Restoration of a Landmark Sydney Church : 1

Tower and northern transept
of Saint Thomas' church, Lewisham NSW.

Earlier this year, the Saint Bede Studio was approached to be a consultant on the restoration of the interior of a famous church in Sydney NSW.

The church of Saint Thomas of Canterbury (also known as Saint Thomas Becket's) was founded in 1887 in the Sydney suburb of Lewisham. Because of its proximity to the railway line which runs into the centre of Sydney from the North, the splendid Gothic Revival tower of the church is seen by thousands of people each day as they pass by in the city's trains.

This is the first in a series of posts about the restoration of S' Thomas', to which the Saint Bede Studio has been pleased to contribute.

The Altar Frontal : 2

In a previous post, we introduced why altar frontals or antependia are desirable to cloth altars, based on liturgical law, sacred symbolism and aesthetics. These are compelling reasons for the use of the frontal, but so frequently two objections are offered why the altar frontal is not used :

The altar is so beautiful, why would we cover it up?

It is too difficult to be changing frontals frequently.

The answers to the first objection may be found by re-reading our first post.  But in this article we wish to begin to discuss the second objection.

A splendidly designed and embroidered altar frontal
clothing the High Altar of Westminster Cathedral (UK).
The use of the original High altar for the celebration of the Sacred Liturgy
was reintroduced by the present Archbishop of Westminster,
shewn in the photograph offering Mass.

Firstly, some terminology. The words frontal and antependium presuppose that the covering is applied only to one face of the altar namely, the front of it. This is perfectly proper when considering an altar which is attached to a reredos, or very close to a wall and therefore not freestanding. An altar, however, is a three-dimensional structure and - if it is freestanding - it ought to be fully clothed, not just clothed on those sides which are generally visible. Consequently, we also find the term altar pall which describes a parament which covers all sides of the altar or, at the least, two of them, the front face and the back face.

A free-standing altar placed in a central position which can be viewed from all sides, requires coverings at the front and the back (we leave aside the question of the linen altar cloths) in order for the covering to fulfil its purpose. It is unseemly to cover the front and not the back of an altar, unless of course, one takes the view that the altar frontal is purely used for aesthetic effect.

Where possible, and for reasons of adequately expressing sacred symbolism, the altar pall or frontal ought to be changed in accordance with the colour of the Liturgical Day or Season. It is quite acceptable, however, to have a worthy form of altar pall which is changed hardly ever. It is when several frontals or palls are used and have to be changed that the second objection becomes more prominent.

At present, as in the past, very few altars are designed with any thought given to their being covered with a pall or frontal. This is a serious deficiency in the vision of designers, but it is hardly a new one. It is very important when designing altars that serious consideration is given as to how they will be clothed. If no arrangement, or a clumsy arrangement is made for clothing an altar with a pall, quite quickly this will be cited as the reason NOT to use an altar pall or frontal. "It's too much trouble".

We will pass over without comment those execrable and unbefitting creations which, being multi-sided instead of four-sided, arrogantly defy sacred Tradition and any form of altar covering.

To be continued ...

Saint Andrew's Abbey-Church, Bruges (Belgium)

Photograph: Dirk Vde 2007
Please note: The above copyrighted image may not be reproduced in any circumstances.

The magnificent Benedictine Abbey-Church of Saint Andrew in Bruges, Belgium is completely intact and truly glorious.

The altar rests beneath a magnificent civory or ciborium, the vault of which is covered with golden mosaic tiles. The apse walls are treated with inlaid marblework and murals painted in the Beuronese school of sacred art. Equally magnificent is the Cosmatesque floor of the sanctuary.

The altar of Saint Joseph in the Abbey-Church.
Here is seen a further example of the Beuronese school of sacred art.
The altar itself, together with its bronze Crucifix and candlesticks, is a work of art,
beautifully detailed and admirably proportionate.

The charming photograph adjacent was taken in the Abbey Church of Saint Andrew in Bruges,
Belgium around 1958.  A Benedictine monk is pictured at the beginning of a Low Mass, attended by two servers.

Re-posted from our other Blog Where Heaven and Earth Meet.

Click on the images for an enlarged view. 

The Altar Frontal : 1

Reproduced from our other Blog Where Heaven and Earth Meet

The Altar of the Confession in Saint Peter's Basilica.

Pope Benedict is seen here offering Mass on Pentecost 2008.

This marvellously embroidered frontal in crimson red and gold 

frequently clothes this altar for Papal Masses.

Excepting perhaps for the altar canopy or civory, the most worthy, liturgical, notable and appropriate adornment of any altar is its altar frontal (antependium). More than any other adornment does the use of the antependium highlight the primacy of the altar. And yet, the antependium is the adornment most frequently lacking from our altars. The Rev'd J.B. O’Connell speaks of the symbolism of the antependium:

As the early linen clothing of the altar recalled our Lord’s burial shroud, so the precious fabric of the later frontal is to recall his royalty....The clothed altar with its beauty and changing colours is a symbol of the Mystical Body - the whole Christ, Christ united with all his saints - it translates this doctrine into the language of colour and form. In addition to its symbolical value, the frontal - with its sequence of colours and its changing form and decoration - lends variety and new beauty to the altar, and helps to mark the degrees of festivity in the Church’s liturgy. Because of its function as an adornment of the altar - although not its primary purpose, which is its symbolism - some liturgical writers maintain that its use is not obligatory, by custom, if the altar is itself made of precious material and highly decorative. But if the frontal is not used, not only is its symbolism disregarded, but the altar is without change of permanent adornment, degrees of festivity cannot be adequately expressed, nor can the liturgical changes of season or feast be fully indicated. 

J.B. O’Connell, Church Building and Furnishing: the Church’s Way, pp.188-89.

The use of the antependium has been a continual practice in the basilicas of Rome.

To this day, the Altar of the Confession in S’ Peter’s Basilica

is clothed with an antependium during the Papal Masses.

Shewn in this image is one of the elaborately-worked antependia used in Saint Peter's.

It may also be observed that many altars of no particular artistic merit, and especially altars which are simply supported on two or four pillars and lack a solid panel underneath the altar table, can be particularly enhanced by the use of an antependium. 

Until 1960, the Rubrics of the Roman Missal and the directives of the Ceremonial of Bishops required that altars, but specifically high altars be clothed with an antependium: it was not a matter of choice or dependent upon the beauty or otherwise of any given altar. Unhappily, however, the directives were largely ignored. Recognising this failure, the revised rubrics of the 1960 Missal omitted the sentence which required the use of an antependium, although maintaining that rubric which required the antependium to be changed according to the season or festival. Even after the requirement for an antependium had been relaxed by the revised rubrics of 1960, the American scholar of canon and liturgical law Father Frederick McManus (who was to become prominent amongst the liturgical reformers), advocated the use of antependia: 

The altar in Saint Peter's without an antependium.

The altar is of surprising plainness, indicating that it was

intended that the central altar of Christendom

would always be clothed for Mass.

The use of the frontal as the vestment of the altar remains proper and entirely suitable...it is still very desirable as a worthy vestment for the altar...and as an effective indication of the liturgical celebration.

F.R. McManus, Handbook For the New Rubrics, Baltimore, 1961, pp. 202-03.

Sufficient has been quoted to demonstrate that even if the antependium is not required, its use is eminently suitable and desirable liturgically, important symbolically, and could not be recommended strongly enough. Very few altars are incapable of having antependia attached to them, even if some ingenuity in keeping them in place is required.

A wider view of the Altar of the Confession, decorated for Christmas.

The altar is manifestly enhanced by the magnificent antependium. 

Contrasts : 6

(Above) The Ladye Chapel of Downside Abbey (UK).

Image : https://www.flickr.com/photos/41621108@N00/

(Below) The High Altar Ottobeuren Abbey (Bavaria).

Image : The New Liturgical Movement.

Click on the images for an enlarged view.

Priestly Ordinations 2016 : 7

Each year, the Saint Bede Studio has the privilege of preparing sacred vestments for priestly Ordinands. Happily, this year has been no exception.

In this post, we are pleased to mention the ordination of Father Tomas Zuna of the Archdiocese of Birmingham (United Kingdom).

Father Zuna commissioned a set of festal vestments from the Studio in the the Borromeon form which were made from silk damask. The chasuble is ornamented in a damask of burgundy and gold silk, outlined with narrow galloons in the Roman style. It is lined in a wine-red taffeta. This design we have named Saint Bartholomew.  Very similar vestments can be seen here and here.

Father Zuna was ordained to the Sacred Priesthood on 16th July by the Archbishop of Birmingham, the Most Rev'd Bernard Longley, in the renowned Gothic Revival Cathedral of Saint Chad. This Cathedral, designed by AWN Pugin, was the first greater Catholic church to be constructed in England since the Reformation and following Catholic emancipation in 1829. It was built on the scale of a Cathedral between 1839 and 1841. It became a Cathedral-church in 1852 after the re-establishment of the Catholic Hierarchy in England.

Figure 2.
Archbishop Longley at the Imposition
of Hands
during the Ordination Mass of
Father Tomas Zuna.
Image : Copyright J Lopuszynski.

For this post, we are pleased to include photographs taken at the Ordination Mass in the Birmingham Cathedral.

Please pray for Father Zuna and for all newly-ordained priests.

Enquiries: stbede62@gmail.com

Please click on the images for an enlarged view.

Figure 3.
Archbishop Longley congratulating
the newly-ordained.
Image : Copyright J Lopuszynski.

Figure 4.
The Canon of the Mass.
Image : Copyright J Lopuszynski.

Figure 5.
The interior of S' Chad's Cathedral :
a hall-church reminiscent of the North German Gothic style.
Image : 
https://www.flickr.com/photos/29644919@N03/with/2784623493/

Figure 6
Saint Chad's Cathedral Birmingham:
the design of AWN Pugin.
Image : 
https://www.flickr.com/photos/michaeljh/4513986695/sizes/l

Figure 7.
The Ladye Chapel of  S' Chad's Cathedral :
a marvellous ensemble of Pugin's design genius.

Where Heaven and Earth Meet : 2

In December, the Saint Bede Studio commenced a subsidiary Blog to present another facet of our work and ongoing study. 

A series of articles has been commenced on the importance of the Altar frontal or antependium :

http://liturgyandarchitecture.blogspot.com.au/2015/01/the-altar-frontal-1.html

http://liturgyandarchitecture.blogspot.com.au/2015/05/the-altar-frontal-2.html

A magnificent English antependium embroidered with figures
of the Blessed Virgin surrounded by the Angelic host.

The purpose of this new blog is to provide materials helpful to those re-ordering our Churches or building new ones. The focus will be on illustration by means of available photographs.

Observations on ecclesiastical architecture (particularly as it pertains to the Sacred Liturgy and its aesthetics) will be presented at the new blog. Restoration and re-ordering work of our churches will also be discussed, in addition to newly-built churches.

Where Heaven and Earth Meet

The Basilica of the Sacred Heart, Montmatre.

In December, the Saint Bede Studio commenced a subsidiary Blog to present another facet of our work and ongoing study. The new blog is titled Where Heaven and Earth Meet.

http://liturgyandarchitecture.blogspot.com.au/

The purpose of this blog is to provide materials helpful to those re-ordering our Churches or building new ones. The focus will be on illustration by means of available photographs.

Observations on ecclesiastical architecture (particularly as it pertains to the Sacred Liturgy and its aesthetics) will be presented at the new blog. Restoration and re-ordering work of our churches will also be discussed, in addition to newly-built churches.

To date, there have been twenty posts put up on the Blog. These may be of particular interest to readers:

Saint Patrick's Cathedral, New York :

http://liturgyandarchitecture.blogspot.com.au/2015/01/catholic-cathedrals-of-north-america-1.html

Pugin's Blessed Sacrament Chapel at Saint Giles' Church, Cheadle UK :

http://liturgyandarchitecture.blogspot.com.au/2015/01/the-genius-of-awn-pugin-2-gate-of-heaven.html

On the importance of the Altar frontal or antependium :

http://liturgyandarchitecture.blogspot.com.au/2015/01/the-altar-frontal-1.html

New Subsidiary Blog : Liturgy and Architecture

A new Blog has now been commenced, which is intended to be a different facet of the work of The Saint Bede Studio.

http://liturgyandarchitecture.blogspot.com.au/

On the new Blog will be presented observations on Catholic architecture, particularly as it pertains to the Sacred Liturgy and its aesthetics. Sometimes posts will be presented of the Studio's own work in this area.

Restoration and re-ordering work that is going on unabated in our churches worldwide will also be discussed here (not all of it favourably, of course), in addition to images of new churches which are to be found on the cornucopia of the world-wide web.